FKK = Frei Körper Kultur

Frei = Free
Körper = Body
Kultur = Culture

Germany has this thing called FKK. What do they mean by “free body culture,” you ask? Well, they have things like pools and beaches and saunas that are called “FKK beaches/pools/saunas/etc.” Still not getting it? Fine, it means that you can be naked in public. There, I’ve said it.

There are even some public parks where you can be naked, from what I’ve heard. This includes the English Garden, which is a huge stretch of grass, some 5km long, which pretty much begins right behind the Studentenstadt. Now, I say that I’ve heard you can be naked there, but what I really mean is, I’ve heard that the English Garden is actually labeled an FKK zone. Regardless of whether it is allowed or not, people are naked there, and that’s just the way it is. No one enforces the law if it isn’t an FKK area.

Olivier and I went for a picnic on Saturday in the Garden. There was an extremely naked old man just walking around. It was hilarious. He wasn’t wearing anything but sunglasses. And he was very evenly tanned, so we assume he does this often. I also, from where we were, couldn’t see any hair on him… at all. ‘Nuff said. I was talking to a British guy in one of my classes and he was also shocked by this naked freedom. He said that he and some friends were trying to play soccer and this old naked guy kept walking around the field. He said the guy was playing naked badminton with a friend. Who plays naked badminton??!! I guess it’s not my place to judge. And it was so hot, that by the end of the picnic, Olivier and I were both down to our underwear, so maybe they have things figured out here in Munich.

Other than that, not much is new. I find it very, very hot here. I am constantly sweating. Take this morning, for example. It was 8am and Olivier and I were on our way to the first class of the day. It’s not that hot at 8am, right? Then why was I sweating? I looked around and no one else was sweating, just me. The worst part is this: it gets hotter. We are only in the middle of June! And this isn’t some weird heat wave!! Wait till July!!! And then I’m supposed to go to the south of France for two weeks at the beginning of August!!!! Ridiculous. I’m going to die of dehydration before then. I can’t seem to get enough water. I bet you’re all choked that I’m complaining, but I just have to say that I love Edmonton in the summer. It rarely gets too hot; it stays just cool enough… most of the time. I miss home, I think.